Student becomes first in her family to attend college
College means many different things to many different students. For junior Kaitlin Sandlin, it’s a privilege not only for her, but her family.
Sandlin is part of the Twenty-First Century Scholars Program, which is a scholarship that ensures that all Indiana families can provide a college education for their children. She was the first in her immediate family of six to attend college.
“It feels empowering to be studying at the University of Indianapolis because my mother and grandma always told me that I needed to go far in life, which meant education, and I’m glad that I can attend college not only for myself, but for them as well,” Sandlin said.
Sandlin is majoring in international relations at UIndy because it has always interested her.
“I’m interested in the world that I live in and how a place halfway across the globe can affect my everyday life,” Sandlin said.
In January 2010, with four years of Spanish from high school, and one semester from UIndy, Sandlin flew to Seville, Spain. Her interest in the world and other cultures drove her to study abroad for a semester at the International College of Seville, where she took rigorous Spanish courses and immersed herself in a completely different culture.
“We live in a hemisphere that is majority Spanish-speaking where it affects our lives every day. So I wanted to travel somewhere where I could learn more about the Spanish world,” Sandlin said.
While in Spain, she visited Morocco, Italy and Portugal, flying into other countries without knowing anyone or having any expectations. Raised from a single mother’s standpoint, with three other siblings, Sandlin’s independent demeanor has only helped her become a stronger person. She works two jobs as a child care provider at a day care center close to campus and as a server at a restaurant when she goes home on the weekends.
“I do everything I can to help my mom out because she’s done everything she could to help me,” Sandlin said.
Sandlin’s younger brother, Kristopher, followed in her footsteps by attending Franklin University in 2010. She hopes that her two younger sisters, both 18, will do the same.
“Because my mother never attended college, we always lived paycheck to paycheck; but she always made sure we had everything we needed, and she was always the best at budgeting,” Sandlin said.
After graduating from UIndy, Sandlin hopes to pursue her passion of helping others around the world.
“Everyone deserves a chance. Everyone deserves an opportunity. I hope to help those less fortunate around the globe aspire to their dreams.”
